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Wacky haircuts a standout feature of World Cup

Steve Douglas AP Sports Writer

Posted:
07/02/2014 04:31:57 AM MDT

Updated:
07/02/2014 04:31:58 AM MDT

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FILE - In this July 1, 2014, file photo, Argentina's Rodrigo Palacio warms-up on the touchline during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Argentina and Switzerland at the Itaquerao Stadium in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Palacio with his shaved head except for a rat?s tail at the back, arguably has the most jaw-dropping haircut at the World Cup. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)

CUIABA, Brazil (AP) — It was an odd place to find three international footballers on the eve of a crucial World Cup game, inside a small hair salon located on the forecourt of a gas station on the outskirts of a remote Brazilian city.

But there they were, Nigeria stars Emmanuel Emenike, Kenneth Omeruo and Ahmed Musa, eager for a new style and color touch-ups for the big match against Bosnia-Herzegovina.

"They are very vain," said Dirce Cardoso, owner of the Salao de Beleza Aeroporto in southern Cuiaba. "They wanted to be pampered."

So Cardoso obliged. She canceled her other appointments, closed the salon and gave the footballers the full VIP treatment. Two of them got a Mohican and two of them had their hair dyed black.

FILE - In this June 26, 2014, file photo, United States' Kyle Beckerman closes his eyes during the group G World Cup soccer match between the USA and Germany at the Arena Pernambuco in Recife, Brazil. The U.S. midfielder is famous for his messy dreadlocks. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) (Matthias Schrader/AP)

Total cost: $71 — and Cardoso was even treated to a ticket for the match.

It seems like we have a new addition to the footballer's pre-match routine — healthy meal, massage, a few media interviews ... and a new haircut.

This World Cup has been a tournament full of goals, surprise results and breath-taking skills, but also some of the wackiest, most outrageous hairstyles you'll find in sports.

Rat tails, mohicans, dreadlocks, braids, bleached blond, outlandish side-partings, the "Afro" — you name a hairstyle, and at least one player is certain to have had it. And it's been the talk of Twitter during games.

Footballers appear to be pre-occupied with their hair like never before.

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"I found out that my haircut got quite a lot of people talking on social media," France defender Mathieu Debuchy told The Associated Press, sporting a hairstyle that can best be described as shaved on the sides with of lizard-shaped comb-over/side-parting.

"So much the better if people talk and communicate about it. I feel good this way, I like it and that's the main thing, no?"

FILE - In this June 13, 2014, file photo, Italy forward Mario Balotelli attends at an official training session the day before the group D World Cup soccer match between England and Italy at the Arena da Amazonia in Manaus, Brazil. The Mohawk is becoming increasingly popular among players and has been best demonstrated at the World Cup by enigmatic Italy striker Mario Balotelli. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File) (Antonio Calanni/AP)

Ever-changing hairstyles used to be domain of David Beckham, who experimented with the shaved head, the cornrows, the Fauxhawk and bleach-blond look, among others, in the blink of an eye. Now everyone is at it, and the styles are getting bolder and bolder.

Take Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, for example. The world player of the year had a different hairstyle for each of his three games at the World Cup — for the second, against the United States, he had a zig-zag-style engraving in the right side of his head.

Similarly, Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan had a blond No. 3 dyed into the side of his black hair to represent the number of his jersey that had been handed to him by his brother, Baffour.

"It's my favorite number," Gyan said. "It's a powerful number."

The mohican is becoming increasingly popular among players and has been best demonstrated at the World Cup by enigmatic Italy striker Mario Balotelli, France midfielder Paul Pogba and Portugal's Raul Meireles.

In fact, Meireles' overall appearance has been one of the sights of the tournament, complementing his wacky hair with a bushy beard and tattoos that appear to cover almost all his body.

When Meireles and U.S. midfielder Kyle Beckerman — famous for his messy dreadlocks — collided in a challenge during their teams' group-stage match, it was more a clash of the haircuts. U.S. Soccer posted on Twitter: "Dreads vs. Mohawk/Beard" with a photo.

A combination of boredom, vanity, football being increasingly fashionable and maybe even the influence of sponsors means that players are becoming more daring with their styles.

"I love that they all have their unique styles," Cardoso said. "They all are very modern. I wouldn't choose one over the other.

"This year, everything looks kind of strange. But it's normal. It's about being young and different. It's beautiful."

———

Here are five of the craziest hairstyles at the World Cup:

— Rodrigo Palacio, Argentina: with his shaved head except for a rat's tail at the back, Palacio arguably has the most jaw-dropping haircut at the World Cup.

— Raul Meireles, Portugal: his Mohawk has been compared to the one sported by Robert De Niro in 'Taxi Driver.' His thick beard and all-over body tattoos add to his scary-looking appearance.

— Marouane Fellaini, Belgium: the king of the football "Afro" but maybe not for much longer. Fellaini has vowed to chop it all off if Belgium wins the World Cup.

— Kyle Beckerman, United States: let his curly hair go wild after leaving home some years ago. Now Beckerman looks like the U.S. squad's very own Bob Marley.

— Paul Pogba, France: not satisfied with having a bleached line through his Mohawk, Pogba also has two bleached stripes on the shaved sides.

Marni Jameson

Our stuff, our selves: Readers write in about decluttering

By Marni JamesonSpecial to The Denver Post

Posted:
02/28/2015 12:01:00 AM MST

Although I am not Ann Landers, I still get e-mails from folks seeking help resolving deep personal problems — like what color to paint their kitchen or whether to put wood floors or carpet in their bedrooms — as if I had some know-it-all Ouija board at my fingertips that would spit out the right answers.

I wish I did.

However, this past week, after my recent columns on getting rid of tough stuff at home, I had letters from stirred-up readers. They laid bare their problems about their attachment to things. Then they asked me for answers, as if I were a soothsayer, not just your humble scribe figuring it out as I go and trying to help you and me have a more beautiful existence.

But it so happens that I actually have given a lot of thought to this touchy subject. So I put on my Ann Landers hat, and answered these letters from readers, whose correspondence I share with their permission.

Dear Marni: Where do I get rid of the beautiful things I no longer want? The kids don't want them. I don't want to send them to the Goodwill. There they might get broken by rough handling or go to some home I don't deem appropriate for things that have meant a great deal to me. Maybe I'm being silly, but it's hard to let go. — Janice MacGowan, Hayward, Calif.

Dear Janice: First, congratulations on deciding to let go. You are halfway to a cleaner home and a clearer life. Now comes the question of where to let the stuff go to. You're not being silly, but ask yourself why you need to "deem" the new home "appropriate." We're not talking about a child or a pet. These are inanimate objects. Maybe no one will love them as you have. Though that would be nice if someone would, hoping that they will may not be realistic.

If the items are desirable, try personally selling them at your next church bazaar, or at a garage sale. Then you can talk to buyers about what they mean to you. If not that, then ask your local thrift or consignment store if you could have a hand in their display.

If you don't clear these items out, and your kids don't want them, eventually they or someone will have to deal with them, and not as well as you will. A lifetime habit of judicious editing is a gift you give your children.

Dear Marni: I have a quandary. I am perfectly willing to discard my mother's, grandmother's, and even some of my great-grandmother's belongings. My question is, how? Do I just throw my grandmother's blouse in the trash? Do I do the same with my mother's memory book from her youth? I even have the clothes my mother wore at her wedding. These items are not suitable for donation, but the idea of putting them in the trash just doesn't feel good. Any suggestions? — Tina Lundy, Arvada

Dear Tina: I have two suggestions for the clothing. One, using pinking shears, cut out a square of the fabric and put it under glass with a photo of your relative, where it will serve as a smaller, cherished reminder. Two, look up quilting circles in your area and donate the garments to them.

As for the memory book, if it is full of family photos, I would save it. If it is full of letters and photos from people you don't know, or it was uniquely personal to your mom, but not so much the family — as in, it records her high school days — I would say that it has served its useful life as her memory book, not yours, and would discard it.

Dear Marni: In your column of Feb. 14, you state: "Life is better, simpler, freer, clearer and homes more beautiful and functional when they contain only those belongings that support and nurture us right now..." The general topic of your column is getting rid of stuff. I agree with much of what you have written but it occurs to me: What if holding onto extraneous stuff supports and nurtures us right now? I'm not saying that having more stuff makes us more valid, only that if you have a little extra space and you are not moving frequently, is having memorabilia altogether bad? I know it is a balance issue. — Chris Campbell, Sandy, Utah

Dear Chris: If you have the space and aren't moving a lot, holding onto stuff is more justifiable than it is for folks who don't have the space, for whom too much stuff compromises their quality of living. So in that respect, your holding on is not doing any harm. Just bear in mind that eventually someone — you, or your children — will have to deal with this. Thinning out the cupboards regularly prevents the "stuff snowball" that otherwise forms.

But you raise a more philosophical issue: What if our stuff sustains us now? Certainly, memories and connections to meaningful people and times in our lives do matter and sustain us. Some people, by personality and by circumstance, acquire more memorabilia than others.

So here's the question to ask: To what degree are these belongings holding you back? Living in the past ("but it meant something") or for a day in the future ("I might need it") robs you of the present. Letting go really does help you grow and move forward. Too many mementos from days gone by — and you should absolutely have some — can create a drag on your life in every sense.

Only you can divine the line between too much and just enough.

Syndicated columnist Marni Jameson is the author of the forthcoming "What to Do With a Houseful of Memories" (Sterling Press). Contact her through www.marnijameson.com.

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